Townlands Carnival 2018 is set to bring it up a notch this summer with the announcement of UK legends Leftfield as the festival's first headliners set for Rusheen Farm, Co Cork, this July. The hugely influential UK pioneers are set for a classics inspired DJ set and will be joined by Irish festival legends-in-the-making King Kong Company, along with a Ghetto Funk Takeover featuring Stanton Warriors, JFB, WBBL & Ghetto Funk Allstars.

To say that Townlands Carnival has left an impression on the Irish festival scene is an understatement. Bringing together Music, Art, Circus and Carnival, the team is dedicated to bringing fans a weekend of escaping the norm and exploring the bizarre in all its incantations. Back in the wooded fields of Rusheen Farm, the festivities are set to take place on July 20 - 22.

Now in its fourth year, the purpose-built Townlands' village becomes a home for the weekend; bringing together a celebration of artists from all disciplines and expertise. Five stages, each dedicated to a heady mixture of reggae, hip hop, folk, rock and dance music, give a platform for both established and up and coming acts against a theatrical and visually inspired backdrop. With a surge of positive feedback since last year’s event, the ethos and dream of the Townlands Carnival team has come to life - managing to conjure an inclusive community over one weekend that has something for the entire family; theatrical escapades, fancy dress and interactive art installations - all the while bringing fans of multiple genres together with a stellar lineup.

Townlands' journey continues this year as it is joined by renowned dance music influencer, Leftfield, for a proper schooling in electronic music by innovator Neil Barnes. Leftfield released one of the biggest dance albums in history, Leftism, and Barnes has been described as being part of “the single most influential production team working in British dance music”.

Townlands is also partnering up with UK label Ghetto Funk and the takeover will bring their unique variety of funked up basslines and breakbeat madness to the Carnival. A multi-award winning label, agency and event crew who have raised the bar honing the sounds of the UK into a new hybrid Ghetto Funk sound. On the bill include Stanton Warriors, revered for “crafting a deeper, bass-driven sound, turning heads across all genres.” Alongside them three times UK DMC Champion JFB joins the takeover. Having been described by Fatboy Slim as “the thinking man's Grandmaster Flash” and being resident scratch DJ on BBC Radio 1’s Rob Da Bank show in 2013/2014, there’s serious hype in store. WBBL joins the crew too and after touring with Slamboree his style of funky glitch hop and bass heavy anthems will no doubt see the dance floor moving. Last but not least, the Ghetto Funk Allstars, join the crew showing how it’s done, Ghetto Funk style!

It wouldn’t be a Carnival without a healthy dose of Sea-Soaked Gypsy Folk which The Eskies encompass.The band have brought their unique brand of folk noir/gypsy jazz/sea shanty and their all screaming, all sweating, swaggering stage spectacle to ballrooms and booze-houses the length and breadth of Europe; sullying soirees and lowering inhibitions of get togethers and social occasions wherever they have ventured. The Latchikós join the sounds of the Sibín bringing wild fiddle playing, driving Gaelic beats and comical lyrics which combines to give new sound in the colourful tapestry of World music.

The reggae and dub lineup will be announced shortly with Worries Outernational and Rub-a-Dub HIFI bringing the noise. With a dedication to the roots and dub sounds of the island, Rrradio Gee are a welcome addition to the line up; a force to be reckoned with bringing their sounds of Psyco-Celtic-Country-Reggae! Cork music will as always be well represented at Townlands with Spekulativ Fiction, Lowli, Damsel, Dry Roasted Peanuts, Bailer and Order of the Mess in the first volley of announcements.

The Village Green which includes the Village Hall, Big Bubbles Kids Area and Craft area will inspire and ignite ideas as workshops, talks and performances are hosted by some of the country’s most passionate community development professionals.

If a treat is in order then you can enjoy a luxury festival experience in the VIP Glamping area! Choose between the fantastic Airstream or Silk Road Tents, enjoying the festival in style with your own bar area! This year also sees each Glamper given access to behind the scenes VIP areas!

With an exciting start to official announcements and a taste of magic in the air, Townlands Carnival starts as it means to go on, all in the spirit of bringing something different, new and fresh to Ireland’s culture and festival circuit.

Townlands Carnival’s hidden jewel, the Sibín Stage, returns to the atmospheric and magical woods of Rusheen Farm Estate, Co Cork, this July 20 – 22. A quite different experience within an already sumptuous festival experience, the music on the Sibín Stage is very much in tune with its surroundings and habitat; evoking backwoods parties with amazing organic music, folky fun, designed and to be enjoyed with inhibition and abandon.

The Latchiko’s are the very originators of Gyp-Hop (Gaelic gypsy hip-hop!); blending a raw mix of virtuoso violin, spoken word and raw driving Gaelic beats. Combined with the Carny Villains - a six piece theatrical band from Bristol known for their raucous blend of stomping swing, ska and Balkan-style folk – these two will set the tone for what the Sibín Stage is all about over the weekend’s festivities.

For a dusky evening in the woods, TLC18 can think of no better music than Katie Kim’s dark and atmospherically drenched ballads, seeping through the leaves and branches and into the very souls of the audience. New stylings and contemporary Irish trad will be well represented by the likes of Torcán and Cula Bula, while alt-roots and blues merchants One Horse Pony and The No Showband will keep things stomping through the night, complimented by the excellent Cork City Samba Band.

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